“Subordinate is the leader of the fourth squad under the seventh company, second battalion, fifth division of the Western Front Army, Henry Sutton, reporting to the officer.” Henry Sutton sat in a rattan chair, weakly cupping his fists in salute, struggling to stand up, but was clearly too exhausted.

Brian Cooper was slightly taken aback, obviously not expecting the other’s rank to be so low. But seeing Henry Sutton’s actions, he hurriedly stepped forward, gently pressed Henry Sutton’s shoulder, and said, “Brother, you are wounded, there’s no need for formalities.” Glancing at the people outside the city gate, he asked, “How many people are left in the city?”

“None left…” Henry Sutton gave a bitter smile, unable to hold back his grief, and burst into tears: “Over five thousand brothers, and now only a few are left. All one hundred and twenty-four are here; the rest have all died for the country.”

Counting Henry Sutton, there had originally been one hundred and ninety-two people, but the last battle was simply too fierce. Trench warfare is different from defending a city; sixty-eight were lost in an instant, so now only this few remain.

“Brother, please take heart. We will never forget this hatred, and sooner or later we will seek justice from those Caesar dogs.” Brian Cooper felt the same way and tried to comfort him.

“Yes…” Henry Sutton choked up, unable to speak for a moment. Behind him, Edward Grant’s eyes were also red, but he forced himself not to cry. Henry Sutton’s blood wine was truly miraculous—those who drank it would have their vitality stimulated, their physical condition greatly improved, and subconsciously obey Henry Sutton’s orders. However, it had a huge impact on the drinker’s mind, almost causing them to lose all self-awareness. For some reason, though, Edward Grant was an exception, so when he thought of his fallen comrades, he too was filled with grief and anger.

Brian Cooper knew that comforting them wouldn’t work for now, so he changed the subject: “I have been ordered to come here to support your army. Fortunately, your troops fought bravely, and we did not arrive too late.”

“Thank you, officer, for your tireless efforts and long journey to aid us. Thanks to His Majesty’s great fortune, this city has been preserved. Now, I obey orders and hand over the city’s defense to your army.” Henry Sutton immediately straightened his chest and called out loudly.

“Good. From this moment, our army will take over the defense of this city.” Brian Cooper paused, then smiled slightly: “Before I came, Marshall Clark asked me to deliver a message to your troops.”

“Marshall Clark?” Henry Sutton was taken aback. This Marshall Clark was the supreme commander of the Skyhawk Legion, one of the five great legions stationed in the West. Since the war with the Caesar people broke out, he had been appointed by His Majesty the Emperor as the overall commander of the Western Front, in charge of fighting the Caesar people. At this moment, he commanded over three hundred thousand soldiers. How could such a great figure be concerned about this small garrison?

Brian Cooper straightened his uniform, bowed deeply and respectfully to Henry Sutton, and solemnly said, “Yes, Marshall Clark asked me to tell you all: you are the pride of the Empire’s soldiers. Here, please allow me, on behalf of the Marshal, on behalf of the three hundred thousand soldiers of the Western Front, and on behalf of the one hundred thousand soldiers of our Red Ocean Legion, to pay the highest tribute to all the survivors and the glorious fallen of your army.”

Chapter Four: Recuperation

Since parting with Brian Cooper, the deputy general of the Red Ocean Legion, it had already been a month.

In the end, the Caesar people did not attack the city again, because the Han army’s reinforcements arrived soon after. This was the real support—tens of thousands of troops camped near the barracks, stalemated with the Caesar people for several days, and after more than ten battles, finally drove the Caesar people back beyond the border. However, these events were not witnessed by Henry Sutton himself; he only heard them secondhand.

Because everyone was wounded, they were allowed to return to the rear city of Xijing to recover. Among them, Henry Sutton’s injuries were the lightest; he had only lost too much blood. The more than one hundred who returned were treated like heroes, enjoying the best food, lodging, and medical care. After several days of rest, Henry Sutton had mostly recovered, though the lost blood would take time to replenish, so he could only recuperate slowly.

They were received in the rear by a deputy general from the logistics department. Such high-level treatment left them flattered and uneasy. Henry Sutton secretly ordered everyone not to wander off, not to cause trouble, and to focus on healing. Although supplies were abundant and medicines plentiful, compared to the miraculous effects of his blood wine, everyone’s recovery was as slow as a snail.

In fact, during the more than twenty days they were besieged, almost everyone had suffered fatal injuries and completely lost their combat ability. But as long as they were still breathing, after drinking Henry Sutton’s blood wine, they would recover within an hour, full of energy. Otherwise, they could never have achieved such a miracle.